The effects of estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol, with and without challenging antioxidants, on the viability and proliferation of SW 756, HeLa, and ECT 1/E6E7 cells in culture.

摘要

Cervical cancer is a major health threat to women worldwide and the role of steroid hormones, antioxidants, and combinations thereof, on cervical cancer cells, is not clearly defined. This study investigated the effects of steroid hormones estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol, antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, and combined effects of vitamin E and estrogen on the viability and proliferation of cervical tumor cell lines, SW 756 (HPV negative) and HeLa (HPV-18 positive), and normal ectocervical cells, Ect 1/E6E7 (HPV-16 transformed), in culture. All cell lines were treated with physiological and supraphysiological doses of all agents and examined biochemically (MTS, Total Protein, MDA, and LD Assays) and morphologically (Papanicolaou and H & E stains) at 24, 48, and 72 hours of time.; Physiological doses of estrogen (1.0 nM) either matched the control or had a positive effect on all cell lines. Supraphysiological doses of estrogen (1.0muM) caused less damage in the HPV-positive cell lines. Estrogen behaved as a tumor promoter by enhancing proliferation in the HPV-positive cell lines. The effects of progesterone (1.0 nM and 0.1 muM) were phasic. Progesterone did not behave as a tumor promoter. Supraphysiological doses of cortisol (0.5 muM) produced significant decreases in cell proliferation at all time periods (p 0.05) in all cell lines, while physiological doses (0.05 muM) matched or superseded the controls. Physiological doses of vitamin E (0.02 muM) had a protective effect on all cell lines at all time periods. SW 756 cells were adversely affected by supraphysiological doses of vitamin E (0.04 muM). Both doses of selenium had damaging effects on all cell lines (31.87 muM and 318.7 muM). The combined agents had the greatest protective effects on Ect 1/E6E7 cells. Morphologically, Papanicolaou stain was superior to H & E stain due to increased nuclear crispness and enhanced cytoplasmic detail.; Data obtained from this project provided the literature with significant information regarding the exposure of steroid hormones alone, or in combination with free radical scavengers, to transformed and nontransformed cervical cell lines. The data demonstrated that cervical cell line type has to be taken into consideration in designing or developing an effective therapy or intervention against the progression of cervical carcinoma.